The FTC complaint began after it accused Sony and its advertising agency Deutsch LA of false advertising surrounding the Vita launch. In particular, the depiction of PlayStation 3 connectivity and remote play were said to be misleading. While the commercials suggested gamers would be able to play the same content across both consoles, in reality this only applied to a handful of titles. Playing PS3 games on the Vita also often resulted in reduced functionality.

The FTC complaint also argued that Sony had misled consumers with regards to the 3G version of the PlayStation Vita by failing to deliver on its multi-player gaming promises.

“PS Vita users who own the 3G version are not able to engage in live, multiplayer gaming through a 3G network,” the report reads. “PS Vita users are restricted to asynchronous or 'turn-based' multiplayer gaming with the 3G version of the PS Vita.”

The Register reports that as part of the FTC ruling, Sony and Deutsch LA will also be forbidden from making further misleading advertisements and must reveal whenever someone is being paid to endorse a product, so that they do not appear as though they are an “independent user.”

PlayStation Vita owners will receive a letter notifying them of the FTC ruling shortly. They then simply need to return a form within 90 days in order to receive either $25 in cash or $50 worth of funds to spend in Sony’s online store.